From political cartoons to neon poetry, six shows art lovers should put in their calendars

Summer doesn't officially begin until June 20, but chances are most San Diegans are already in full summer mode. For some of you, it's time to put the final touches on vacation plans, but for art mavens and culturalists planning on sticking around, here's some of this season's great upcoming art shows.

One of the first San Diego Art Prize winners in 2006, Jean Lowe has amassed an impressive resume of solo shows that explore the thin lines between culture and consumerism. I was thoroughly impressed with last year's Savoir Faire show at Quint Gallery, and Lost Time, which opens Friday, June 17, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., deals in themes of cultural value with Lowe creating distorted auction catalog photographs of both real and handmade objects. A solo show from local painter Adrienne Joy, which opens at the Athenaeum the same night, should offer a nice contrast to Loweís work. ljathenaeum.org

June 18-July 14

2016 New Contemporaries at City College Gallery (1508 C Street, East Village)

A group exhibition showcasing the nominated artists for the San Diego Art Prize, which recognizes local emerging talent with winners eventually moving on to be paired up with established mentors. This year's crop of up-and-comers is a proverbial who's who of names that have appeared in the pages of CityBeat. A few of the standouts from this year's show (which opens Saturday, June 18, from 6 to 8 p.m.): sculptor Kim Garcia, interactive artist Aren Skalman and Tijuana street artist PANCA, who was nominated for the prize by CityBeat columnist Alex Zaragoza. sdvisualarts.net

June 23-Sept. 4

Party Lines: The History, Art and Politics of Editorial Cartoons at SDSU Downtown Gallery

(725 W Broadway, Downtown)

Around the same time the two major parties will be gearing up for what is looking to be the most farcical party conventions in modern history, San Diego State University will open this 40-year retrospective of political cartoons from some local and national legends. The main focus, naturally, is election year cartoons, with names such as Herblock, Steve Breen, Lisa Benson and CityBeat fave Lalo Alcaraz represented. There will also be a historical segment of the exhibition that focuses on the important role of cartoons during particularly epochal moments throughout the centuries. Opens Thursday, June 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. art.sdsu.edu

July 9-Aug. 7

Rare Specimens at CM Curatorial (2070 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan)

Speaking of politics, local pop-surrealist painter Matt Stallings has a decades-long history of skewering politicians and poking fun of our cult of personality obsessions. Stallings describes this show (which opens Saturday, July 9, from 6 to 9 p.m.) as "God's own prototypes. Evolutionary experiments not intended for mass reproduction," and judging by the early works he's posted to his Facebook (which include portraits of Donald Trump as Ronald McDonald, Donald Duck, and, well, you get the idea), it seems he has a very clear target in mind. mattstallings.com

DeLIMITations: A Survey of the 1821 United States-Mexico Border at Museum of Contemporary Art (1100 Kettner Blvd., downtown)

MCASD has four Chicano- and border-focused exhibitions opening on July 22 from Moris and Ruben Ochoa, as well as an entire space devoted to the collection of Cheech Marin. However, it's DeLIMITations that has us the most intrigued. Essentially a documental show from Marcos RamÌrez ERRE, David Taylor and filmmaker José Inerzia, the exhibition follows ERRE and Taylor as they set out on a road trip to explore the 1821 border between Mexico and the U.S. western territories. They also installed 47 sheet metal markers (that resemble the stone and iron ones found at the U.S./Mexico border today) along the way. mcasd.org

Local curator Dave Hampton is officially on a roll. Fresh off his impressive job at picking out the works for the acclaimed Portrait of Pomeroy exhibition at the Central Library, Hampton will be debuting the first full-blown retrospective of the Danish-born, North County-based Gronborg, who has long been known for his meticulous work in ceramics, sculpture, woodwork and metal. The exhibition will also include the first-ever anthology of Gronborg's writings, which provide an even wider window into his impressive mind. mingei.org

Calendar

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